Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Controlling Influenza A (H1n1) In China: Bayesian Or Frequentist Approach, Dejian Lai, Chiehwen Ed Hsu

Chiehwen Ed Hsu

In this article we discuss two approaches to controlling the newly identified influenza A (H1N1) via Bayesian and frequentist statistical reasoning. We reviewed the measures implemented in China as an example to illustrate these two approaches. Since May 2009, China has deployed strict controlling mechanisms based on the strong prior Bayesian assumption that the origin of influenza A (H1N1) was from outside China and as such strict border control would keep the virus from entering China. After more than two months of hard work by Chinese health professionals and officials, the number of confirmed influenza A (H1N1) has increased steadily …